A five-day celebration of classical dance forms

A five-day classical dance festival began on Thursday at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan auditorium at Charni Road to mark the platinum jubilee of the educational and cultural organisation, which was established in 1938.

The Nrityotsav dance festival, which will go on till May 23, also commemorates the 125th birth anniversary of the organisation’s founder Kulapati KM Munshi.

Acclaimed dancers such as Padma Subramanyam, Raminder Khurana, Sadanand Biswas, Pallavi Krishnan and Madhavapeddi Murthy will perform on Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathak, Mohiniyattam and Kuchipudi respectively. The performances, scheduled from 6pm to 8.30pm, are free and open to all.

“Bhavan’s motto is to preserve and promote our cultural heritage. Hence, it is only apt that we organise a classical dance festival to celebrate our 75th anniversary,” said Kamlesh Mota, programme director of Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan Kala Kendra, the organisation’s cultural wing.

The next phase of the year-long celebrations will include a classical music and theatre festival, date for which are yet to be decided.

Earlier, the organisation had also hosted a Hindi drama competition.

“We urge everyone, especially the youth, to participate in the programmes,” said Mota.